Physician Assistant Program

Master of Sciencein Physician Assistant

Study for your Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Elizabethtown College. We offer two entry options for incoming students to the program; a combined BS/MS degree over five and a half years for incoming first-year E-town students or a standalone master’s degree over 25 months for students with a bachelor’s degree from E-town or another institution. Learn more about how you can earn your MS in Physician Assistant Studies.

Program Summary

The Physician Assistant (PA) program will provide you with an education that is centered on service and integrates interdisciplinary learning, ensuring that you have experience in a range of primary care and specialized healthcare settings.

At the culmination of the program, students will sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE). After successful completion of the exam, graduates will be able to work as a physician assistant in medical facilities across the nation in specialized areas of clinical practice, as well as in research occupations or academia.

Meet the Staff

Dr. Lynn Eckrote,EdD, MPAS, PA-C

Founding PA Program Director

Lynn Eckrote began at Elizabethtown College in August 2018. She earned her bachelor of science degree in biology from Pennsylvania State University, her master in physician assistant studies from King’s College, and her doctorate in education from the University of New England. Lynn worked the majority of her clinical career in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry prior to entering academia. She had been in both a clinical director and program director position prior to founding the Elizabethtown Physician Assistant Program.

Dedicated to providing healthcare education to future providers and ensuring that Elizabethtown’s mission of Educate for Service continues in the physician assistant program, Lynn maintains a focus of looking for motivation, empathy, and critical thinking skills in her students. Lynn is committed to providing students with an education that is centered on service and integrates interdisciplinary learning.

Larissa D Whitney,MHS, PA-C

Clinical Coordinator and Faculty Instructor

Larissa Whitney joined the Elizabethtown College Physician Assistant Program in 2019 and serves as the program’s clinical coordinator.

Larissa is a 2010 magna cum laude graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Technology Physician Assistant Program and honors graduate of Nova Southeastern University’s Master of Health Science Program. She has worked in higher education since 2015, and has co-authored chapters in two medical education textbooks. Larissa continues to maintain her clinical skills in trauma and acute care surgery.

Committed to educating compassionate and competent students, Larissa is eager to fulfill Elizabethtown’s mission of educate for service. Her clinical and teaching interests include clinical medicine, clinical procedures, diagnostic and imaging studies, critical care medicine, and end of life care.

Are you ready to elevate your career? Get started now with an M.S. in Physician Assistant from Elizabethtown College.

Timeline for Accelerated Students:

August 2020First cohort of accelerated students enters the undergraduate Bachelor of Science Biology/Allied Health Concentration curriculum

October 2020PA program building is ready for move-in

July 2022Second Provisional Site Visit

December 2023First cohort of accelerated students begins the PA program

May 2024First cohort of accelerated students receive their Bachelor of Science Biology/Allied Health Concentration degree

January 2024-July 2024Final Provisional Site Visit

January 2025First cohort of accelerated students enters the clinical year of the PA program

December 2025First cohort of accelerated students graduates with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies

Timeline for Graduate Students:

October/November 2019CASPA Application opens

November 2019Application due to the ARC-PA

Fall/Winter 2019Break ground on new PA building

February 2020Initial Site Visit

May/June 2020Interviews for first PA program cohort

October 2020PA program building is ready for move-in

December 2020First PA program cohort begins didactic curriculum

January 2022First PA program cohort begins clinical year

July 2022Second provisional site visit

December 2022First PA program cohort graduates with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies

January 2024-July 2024Final Provisional Site Visit

Professional Accreditation

Elizabethtown College has applied for Accreditation-Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Elizabethtown College anticipates matriculating its first class in December 2020, pending achieving Accreditation-Provisional status at the June 2020 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resources allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

Elizabethtown College does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, possession of a general education development certificate as compared to a high school diploma, or any other legally protected status. This commitment applies but is not limited to decisions made with respect to hiring and promotion, the administration educational programs and policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other College administered programs. Discrimination or harassment of any kind is strictly forbidden.